1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing and using Guestaurant™ ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any of these terms, you are prohibited from using this Service.

2. Description of Service

Guestaurant™ is a platform connecting venues, hosts, guests, chefs, and local experts for intimate dining experiences in Charleston, South Carolina. The Service facilitates:

• Event creation and management by venues and hosts
• Event discovery, booking, and wishlist management by guests
• Chef and expert services for Charleston experiences
• Recurring events and instant booking options
• Real-time communication between users via messaging
• Review, rating, and response systems
• Dispute resolution and support mechanisms
• Payment processing and refund management
• Following and networking features
• Email preferences and notification management

3. User Accounts and Registration

3.1 Account Creation

To use certain features of the Service, you must register for an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to update such information to keep it accurate, current, and complete.

3.2 Background Checks

All users (venues, hosts, guests, and experts) may be required to undergo background checks. By registering, you consent to such checks and agree that failure to pass may result in account suspension or termination.

3.3 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

4. User Roles and Responsibilities

4.1 Venues and Hosts

Venues and hosts agree to:

• Maintain valid business licenses and health permits where applicable
• Provide accurate information about events, including dates, times, pricing, and menus
• Maintain appropriate insurance coverage
• Comply with all local health and safety regulations
• Not discriminate against guests based on protected characteristics
• Provide accurate location information to confirmed guests within 48 hours of events
• Honor confirmed bookings or provide adequate notice of cancellations
• Respond promptly to booking requests and guest inquiries
• Manage instant bookings responsibly when this feature is enabled
• Clearly disclose any recurring event patterns and cancellation policies

4.2 Guests

Guests agree to:

• Provide accurate information during booking
• Honor confirmed bookings or provide adequate notice of cancellations
• Respect venue property and follow house rules
• Not share private venue addresses or contact information publicly
• Provide honest, fair reviews based on actual experiences
• Not misuse messaging features or engage in harmful behavior toward other users
• Comply with dietary restrictions and special requests declared during booking

4.3 Chefs

Chefs agree to:

• Maintain appropriate liability insurance
• Provide accurate information about qualifications, experience, and specialties
• Honor confirmed bookings and deliver promised services
• Maintain food safety and hygiene standards
• Accept liability for food-related illness as indicated in booking terms

4.4 Experts

Experts agree to:

• Provide accurate information about their Charleston expertise and qualifications
• Honor confirmed bookings
• Provide quality services as advertised
• Maintain professionalism in all guest interactions
• Protect guest safety during expert-led activities

5. Bookings and Cancellations

5.1 Booking Process

Bookings may be instant (automatically confirmed) or require host approval. Once confirmed and payment is processed, a binding agreement exists between the guest and venue/host/chef/expert. Guests may join a waitlist if an event is fully booked.

5.2 Cancellation Policy

Cancellation policies are set by individual venues and experts. Guests should review cancellation terms before booking. Refunds, if applicable, are processed according to the stated policy. Cancellation calculations may include service fees retained by Guestaurant™.

5.3 Host Cancellations

Hosts, venues, chefs, or experts who cancel confirmed bookings without adequate reason may be subject to penalties including account suspension and may be required to issue full refunds.

5.4 Recurring Events

Hosts may create recurring dinner events (weekly, biweekly, or monthly). Each instance is treated as a separate booking with independent confirmations. Cancellation of a single instance does not automatically cancel future recurring instances.

6. Payments and Fees

6.1 Service Fees

Guestaurant™ charges service fees on bookings. Fee structures are communicated at the time of booking and may vary based on booking type.

6.2 Payment Processing

Payments are processed through third-party payment processors (Stripe). You agree to their terms of service. Guestaurant™ is not responsible for payment processing errors or disputes. All payments are subject to verification and fraud detection measures.

6.3 Refunds and Disputes

Guests may file disputes through our platform for refund requests or service issues. Disputes are reviewed by our support team and resolved according to this Terms and applicable refund policies. Venues and chefs may respond to disputes and provide their perspective.

6.4 Pricing

Venues, hosts, chefs, and experts set their own pricing. All prices displayed include applicable taxes unless otherwise stated. Guestaurant™ service fees are calculated and displayed before checkout.

7. Reviews and Ratings

7.1 Review Guidelines

Reviews must:

• Be based on actual experiences
• Not contain offensive, discriminatory, or defamatory content
• Not include personal information of other users
• Not be used for commercial purposes or spam

7.2 Content Moderation

Guestaurant™ reserves the right to remove reviews that violate these guidelines. Users may flag inappropriate reviews for moderation. Our moderation team will investigate flagged content and take appropriate action.

7.3 Review Responses

Venues, hosts, chefs, and experts may respond to reviews. Responses must be professional and not contain attacks, discrimination, or personal information. Inappropriate responses may be removed.

8. Privacy and Data Protection

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, available at Privacy Policy. By using the Service, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Violate any laws or regulations
• Infringe on intellectual property rights
• Transmit viruses, malware, or harmful code
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users through messages, reviews, or other means
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service
• Scrape, crawl, or data mine the Service
• Impersonate others or provide false information in profiles or bookings
• Use the Service for any illegal or unauthorized purpose
• Discriminate against any user based on protected characteristics
• Share private venue addresses or personal contact information publicly
• Manipulate ratings, reviews, or the booking system
• Use instant booking features to spam or harass hosts
• Engage in price gouging or predatory booking practices

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 Guestaurant™ Content

The Service and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by Guestaurant™ and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

10.2 User Content

You retain ownership of content you post to the Service. By posting content, you grant Guestaurant™ a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and display such content in connection with the Service.

11. Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

11.1 Service "As Is"

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

11.2 No Guarantee of Safety

While we conduct background checks, Guestaurant™ does not guarantee the safety, quality, or legality of events or interactions between users. You assume all risks associated with using the Service and attending events.

11.3 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Guestaurant™ shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of the Service.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Guestaurant™ and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including attorney's fees) arising from your use of the Service or violation of these Terms.

13. Dispute Resolution

13.1 Informal Resolution

We encourage users to resolve disputes directly. If a dispute arises between users, please attempt to resolve it amicably before involving Guestaurant™.

13.2 Arbitration

Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved through binding arbitration in Charleston, South Carolina, in accordance with the American Arbitration Association's rules.

14. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including breach of these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease.

15. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will provide notice of material changes by posting the updated Terms on the Service. Your continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

16. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South Carolina, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

17. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, please contact us at: legal@guestaurant.com

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms shall otherwise remain in full force and effect.

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Guestaurant™ regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.